ABSTRACT

How should sport deal with prematurely ended seasons? This question is especially relevant to the current COVID-19 interruption that threatens to leave many leagues without champions. We argue that although there can be no winners, in certain situations there should be champions. Relevant to the current situation, we argue that Liverpool FC—currently with a 22+ point lead—should be crowned champions of the English Premier League. However, things are not as simple as simply handing the championship to whoever was in the lead when a season is prematurely ended. Through analogy with a fictional decathlon competition—and with the understanding that sporting seasons are themselves a type of game—we identify three reasons why leading at the moment of cessation is insufficient to be crowned a victor (of an individual event) or a champion (of a season-long competition): doing so fails to respect some valuable skills, fails to allow for luck to play out in an interesting way that affects competitions, and fails to respect competitive strategies. This discussion can then inform determining what, if any, end-of-season accolades are relevant, such as championships, relegation, or promotion. No team can win in a league that has failed to be completed, but there can still be a champion.

摘要

运动应如何应对过早结束的季节？这个问题与当前的COVID-19中断特别相关，该中断可能会使许多联赛失去冠军。我们认为尽管没有赢家，但在某些情况下应该有冠军。与当前情况相关，我们认为利物浦足球俱乐部（目前领先22分以上）应成为英超联赛的冠军。但是，事情并不简单，只是在赛季提前结束时将冠军交给领先者。通过虚构的十项全能比赛的类比，以及对运动季节本身就是一种游戏的理解，我们确定了三个原因，为什么在停止的时刻领先不足以被冠以（单个项目的胜利者）或冠军（一个赛季的比赛）：这样做不能尊重一些有价值的技能，不能让运气以一种有趣的方式影响比赛，并且不能尊重竞争策略。然后，该讨论可以通知您确定与赛季末相关的荣誉（如冠军，降级或晋级）是否相关。没有一支球队可以在未能完成的联赛中获胜，但仍然可以拥有冠军。不能让运气以一种有趣的方式影响比赛，也不能尊重竞争策略。然后，该讨论可以通知您确定与赛季末相关的荣誉（如冠军，降级或晋级）是否相关。没有一支球队可以在未能完成的联赛中获胜，但仍然可以拥有冠军。不能让运气以一种有趣的方式影响比赛，也不能尊重竞争策略。然后，该讨论可以通知您确定与赛季末相关的荣誉（如冠军，降级或晋级）是否相关。没有一支球队可以在未能完成的联赛中获胜，但仍然可以拥有冠军。